Irish Constitution Archives | Teach Dont Preach

December 11, 2019 No Comments Teach Dont Preach

Catholic school guidelines on inclusion deny the rights of secularists

The Joint Managerial Body (JMB) for second level Religious schools has issued revised Guidelines for the ‘Inclusion of Other Beliefs in Catholic Secondary Schools’. These revised Guidelines undermine the rights of minorities. They are based on fear and control dressed up in the language of inclusion. The Catholic Church is ...

December 2, 2019 No Comments Teach Dont Preach

Time to rebalance Constitutional rights to protect religious minorities in Irish schools

In Ireland children have a Constitutional Right to not attend any religious teaching or activities. The Constitution obliges the State to respect the inalienable right of parents to ensure that the teaching of their children is in conformity with their convictions. The Constitution also guarantees that all citizens are equal ...

November 24, 2019 No Comments Teach Dont Preach

Religion should not, and can not, be made compulsory in Irish schools

Michael Nugent was on Newstalk Radio this week, debating whether religion should be made compulsory in Irish schools. Alan Whelan of the Catholic Secondary Schools Parents Partnership argued that it should be. Religion should not be compulsory in Irish schools, because it would be a bad idea, and it can ...

October 8, 2019 No Comments Teach Dont Preach

State pays €9.8m a year for chaplains in State ETB schools

According to a recent Parliamentary response to a question by Ruth Coppinger, there are 156 Chaplains working in ETB schools, at a cost of €9.8 million to the State. Over half of second level schools are denominational, and most of the rest are defined as multi-denominational State schools with the ...

October 7, 2019 No Comments Teach Dont Preach

Campaign to Separate Church and State v Minister for Education 1995

The Campaign to Separate Church and State case in 1995 is one of the main cases that dealt with religion in Irish schools. The case went to the High Court first and then went on to the Supreme Court. The judgements from the High Court and Supreme Courts are below ...

September 18, 2019 No Comments Teach Dont Preach

Catholic school backs homework pass for attending a religious event

A recent Article in the Irish Times “Catholic school backs homework pass for attending a religious event” highlights the discrimination that minorities face in the vast majority of schools in Ireland. Children that go to mass or choir practice outside school hours are given a reward for attending. The reward ...

August 22, 2019 No Comments Teach Dont Preach

Dept of Education is trying to redefine Supreme Court judgement on religious instruction and education

The Department of Education and the Minister, Joe McHugh, are undermining the right of parents and their children to ensure that the teaching of their children is in conformity with their convictions. They are re-defining the Constitutional meanings of religious instruction, formation and education as defined by the Supreme Court ...

August 5, 2019 No Comments Teach Dont Preach

NCCA Religion Course was always optional

The NCCA Religious Education Course was optional when it was first introduced in 2000. The roll out of the course took 3 years. At the time, no Schools, Teachers, the TUI, Patron Bodies or the Catholic Bishops complained about needing extra resources for a new course that was introduced into ...

May 9, 2019 1 Comment Teach Dont Preach

Supreme Court judgement from 1998 supports the right to opt out of the NCCA religion course

The Minister for Education, Joe McHugh, and the Department of Education, have recently been undermining the right to opt out of the NCCA religion course in ETB schools. They are basing their argument on a distinction between what they call ‘religious instruction’ and ‘religious education.’ But Atheist Ireland has obtained ...

March 19, 2019 No Comments Teach Dont Preach

The Minister for Education should enforce the right to opt out of the NCCA Religious Education course

Ruth Coppinger TD has twice recently asked the Minister for Education Joe McHugh about the right of students to opt out of the NCCA Religious Education course at second level. The Minister has not directly addressed the right to opt out, saying merely that opting out "should not arise" because ...